LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 8, 20 December 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The “Stratford Evening Post” will not bo published on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, which fall on Monday and Tuesday in next week.

A correspondent of tho “Farm and Station Journal” writes: “How to make two blades of grass grow where only one grew before is a problem unusually given by the landlord to his tenant. A South Canterbury farmer is trying to put the idea into practice not with grass but with potatoes. He declares that potato rows are much to wide in heavy land, and that four could occupy the space of three, and ■ho. is trying to increase his yield by a quarter. In Southland drilling oats both ways and using two bushels of seed each time is being tried. Those who have tried the experiement declare that the yield in good land is increased fully twenty bushels to the acre.” In view of Taranaki being an oilproducing province, and also in view of the experiments made in the country with petroleum as a dust-layer, the following-passage from Edmond □’Donovan’s hook . “The Story of Merv,” written in 1879, should be of interest:—“Vfliile I was in Baku I was a good deal interested in the peculiar nature of the soil. During the storms that are very frequent, dense clouds of dim yellow dust arise, and this contains so much bitumen that the least glow of sunshine fixes it indelibly upon one’s clothes. The streets are moistened with the coarse black residual naptha that remains after a distillation of the raw petroleum, and tin’s effectually lays the dust for about a fortnight.” Baku, it is to be noted, is still the most prolific oil-producing centre in Southern Russia. A daring burglary was recently perpetrated in Sydney at a private residence next door to the house occupied by tho chief of the traffic police. All tiie occupants slept upstairs, and the safe was in a spare room next to an occupied bedroom. A door was left insecurely fastened on the ground floor, and this gave the thieves easy access to the house. Once inside, the burglars’ task was easy, and they apparently experienced no difficulty in getting upstairs to the safe. They first made their way into the room where tho proprietor was sleeping and searching for the keys found them in his pockets, and secured them. Then they quietly returned to the room where the safe stood without disturbing the sleepers. They also opened the safe noiselessly, and extracted the jewellery. A lady of the household is an enthusiastic collector of precious stones, and these with other gems were in the safe; but in the morning it was found the thieves had secured all the most valuable of the collection, including tho presents made to her by her husband on his return from a recent trip abroad. The total value of the booty was about £IOOO, and the burglars, after first treating themselves to whisky and soda, effected their escape in a boat belonging to the house. That edible crabs are a homo-lov-ing community was brought to the notice of the Eastern Seat Fisheries Committee at their half-yearly meeting at King’s Lynn recently. Several hundred crabs were captured, and after being labelled were returned to the sea at various points along the east coast. Over -lUO have been retaken and returned to the Fishery Inspectoi;. The investigations show that crabs keep to their own locality, and that if taken a distance away it is their instinct to return to their birthplace and feeding ground. A number of crabs brought front Yorkshire and liberated off the Lincolnshire coast as far south as Skegness walked home to Yorkshire again, ami in doing so they had to travel distances ranging from 16 to 85 miles, and had to cross tho Humber. Xot one of tho Yorkshire crabs lias been retaken south of its place of liberation, and of those that did not return to their old haunts nearly every one was recaptured at a root wliie.li showed that they had travelled a considerable distance towards home. Two crabs, a male and a female, originally taken in the same trail off tho Yorkshire coast wore returned to tho sea at different points off tho Lincolnshire coast. Xiao months later both were retaken, again in the same trap, and on the ground from which they were at first taken.

The Taranaki Jockey Club last night granted gentlemen riders’ licensee to T. L. Paget, A. Mitchell, W. F. Tatteixall and F. Aubrey. in connection with Wesley Church, Midhirst, a Xmas Fair will be held In-morrow (Thursday) afternoon and veiling. At last night’s mooting of tho Education Board the following resignations were received and accepted:— Mrs. M. Bower, sewing teacher. Ohau ; -Mrs. Curtis, sole teacher. Kina; Miss M. Hutcheson, assistant, Midhirst; Miss E. M. Breckcll. solo teacher, Tanra’kawa school; Miss E. M. Gilb rt, assistant in Board’s office. Tho monthly meeting of the executive committee of the Chamber of Commerce was held .at the Borough Council Chamber last night. Present: Messrs. W. P. Kirkwood (in the chair), W. H. H. Young, J. McMillan, \V. A. Hewitt, and J. B. Richards (secretary). The only matter dealt with was that of the half-holiday. The discussion will ho found elsewhere. In the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, says the “-News,” Mr. Johnstone applied for a re-hearing in the case Callow v. Keith. He said that an arithmetical error had been made by a witness, which had made a difference in tho amount of the judgment given. Mr. Fitzherbert said it would be establishing a precedent to grant a rehearing, but he would give his opinion on tho matter this morning. The Christinas “greeting” telegrams which have become so popular in recent years will again be in vogue tiiis Christmas. On previous occasions tiie large number of these messages deposited on Christmas Eve has congested the telegraph linos, and delayed delivery in some cases until the next day. To obviate tiiis difficulty the Secretary of the General Post Office, Wellington, requests the public to despatch as many “greeting” telegrams as possible on Friday, and to ensure that more workable conditions may obtain on Saturday. The Taranaki Land Board is evidently determined not to allow’ aggregation of Crown lands in this district, says the “News.” At yesterday’s meeting two applications for transfer of sections were refused on this account. In one case a single man, w ho held -176 acres, applied to transfer his section to another single man, who already held a section of 473 acres. As the majority of the Board considered that each section was capable of supporting a family, they declined the application. Many of the Crown settlers consider that, they have a perfect right to take up extra land provided they do not exceed the maximum extent, viz., 660 acres first-class land, 200 acres second-class, and 5000 acres third-class. This, however, is A matter that is left entirely to the discretion of tho Land Board. While at Kio Kio the Xew Zealand “Herald’s” correspondent had a chat with Henare Kaihan, who produced a plan of the proposed Maori Parliament House, to be built at a cost of £7OOO. “I have brought tiiis matter before the Xative Minister and Parliament on several occasions,” he said “but have received no definite satisfaction. However, Government or no Government, this House is going to be erected.” The proposal was that a representative should be nominated from each , bapu who would represent his tribe. He considered that the time had arrived when the Maori should have Horne Rule. This Parliament had been prophesied by' tho “King’s, father many years ago, and the time had now arrived when he should bring the project about.” The Parliament would be the forerunner of a model Maori town where young native boys and girls would be given technical education of the various trades. On being asked if the whole matter was not a dream Mr Kaihau indignantly replied that it was not. There were 10,000 Waikato natives alone who had agreed to be taxed at the rate of £1 per head. The “King” had decided to devote a considerable amount of the “mana” that had been bestowed on him by his people in the form of endowments. Two ingenious Italian journalists at the seat of “war” in Tripoli succeeded in evading the press censorship which lias been established there. They first of all adopted a code, and when they cabled, for instance, that 6000 oranges had been sent from Syracuse, that meant that 5000 Turks had started for Tripoli. But now it seems that any press telegrams dealing with oranges are suppressed, which is perhaps a little hard on tho orange trade. Foiled in this regard, the journalists then sent their telegrams to Chiasso, on the frontier, whence they were telephoned to Milan. These messages were so framed that they seemed to come from England, Tripoli and oilier towns being described as Brighton, Oxford, and Cambridge. “Aeroplanes” denoted squadron and “motor cars” signified an army, while other words dealing with petrol and motors signified bombardment and fighting. The Government seems to have been deceived by this code for some time, until it came to the conclusion that if England bought so much petrol and so many motor cars it would soon be ruined, and so the use of English words in telegraph messages was forbidden. Then tho journalists sent their messages from Chiasso to Milan by motor. The Government can hardly stop every motor car on the road, and it has been obliged to submit to tho despatch of messages in this way. Speaking at the Royal United Service Institution recently, on “The Probable Effects of Compulsory Military Training on Recruiting for tho Regular Army,” Colonel A. J. A. Wright, C. 8., said he was five years recruiting officer in Lancashire, and since then, as Brigadier-General commanding Xo. 5 Regimental District, had tho supervision of recruiting in that area. As recruiting officer he kept a daily record for some six months of the causes which induced youngsters to join the Army. To every recruit who came before him for attestation he put the following questions, amongst others : (1) Why do you want to enlist? If you could got work would you enlist. Seventy per cent, of the replies to question (1) were: “Bcc.'iuso I am out of work”; and the same percentage replied “Xo”. to Question 2. Five per cent, enlisted from a love of soldiering, or a desire for adventure, and to see the.world. Ten per cent, because of some unoleasantncss with their parents or their young women. Many of these latter purchased their discharge before their depot training was conclud’d. Fifteen per cent, because- they were only earning some 16s a week, wages with which the Army compared favourably; the remaining 70 per "cut. because they were cut of work ;nd hungry, and had it not been for bin's cnmoelliug cause nothing would have induced them to enlist. Yet of these “conscripts of hunger” the majority made most excellent soldiers. Miss M. E. Hunt, milliner and dressmaker, who has hen conducting -lasses at the Coffee Palace, will remove to the Foresters’ Hall after New 6 oar, owing to increase of business.

Mr. T. Mercer, of Broadway, has jusc completed me sale of ius bil-iiard-rcom business, to Air. Corrigan, of Hawera.

Tiie Chamber of Commerce discussion on the half-lmliday question will be found on page 3 of this issue ; the latest cricket news is on page 2; and poultry notes appear on page 8. Mr. E. Young, the popular member of the staff of Air, T. 0. Fookcs, solicitor, lias received word that ho has passed the hist section of iiis legal examination. Air. Young’s friends extend to him their congratulations. Professor Cardston, who is arranging the dancing carnival to ho held 1 in aid of the Fire Brigade funds, desires to meet the parents of the children ho is training, ana invites them to see him at the Fire Brigade Plall between two and four o’clock comorrow afternoon. Hie material to be used in making the children’s costumes will be on view.

Joseph Ryan, who sustained minor injuries at the railway station yesterday in attempting to board the Toko train carrying a Christmas hamper of spirits and being in a state of drunkenness, was brought before Air. C. D. Sole, J.P., this morning at the Magistrate’s Court. Ho was fined os, and ordered to pay medical expenses and cab fare;

The distribution of prizes in connection with the school will take place at two o’clock to-morrow afternoon at the school. This year the School Committee lias decided to give every member of the babies’ class a little present or token as a reminder of their first year at school. Ihe teachers therefore hope that every member of the class will be present.

Mr Sam Spence has just received word from the Registrar of the New Zealand University that he lias been successful in passing the Final Solicitors’ Law Examination, thus qualifying him as a solicitor of the Supreme Court. Mr Sam Spence joined his brother Mr R. Spence as junior clerk several years ago, and has continued in the same office and is at present accountant for Spence and Stanford. Mr Spence’s many friends will be glad to learn of his success, and with them we congratulate him and wish him a successful professional career. Mr Alfred Coleman, the well-known local accountant and D.0.A., has just been notified by the University that ho has succeeded in passing the first section of the Solicitor's Law Examination in,ail subjects for which he sat. This is a most creditable performance, seeing that Mr Coleman lias not had the advantage of being in a solicitor’s office and moreover has had to pursue his studies while attending to Iris many other offices. We extend to Mr Coleman hearty congratulations. Probably the most disgusted manir New Plymouth yesterday, says the “News,” was a well-known business man who laboured under that detestable feeling of losing a half-sovereign through a hole in his pocket. On becoming aware of his loss lie travelled about" three hundred yards of New Plymouth street, quicker than he ever did previously, and got back to his office very warm and disgusted, aftei a close search without striking gold. Meeting some friends he unburdened himself*', and; received sincere, condolences, "ose telling ( him his loss was worse than that of.beipg beaten at an election, for one did get some fun and pain out' of that; but be got nothing out of,’.his, loss.. At' last a suggestion was made ‘ that the elusive half-sov-ereign might have dropped into Jus boot. With scorn the loser repelled the idea, but ultimately he was prevailed on to take off his boot, when the missing.bit of gold was shaken mil to the loser’s manifest delight,_ and with a’ shout of joy from his friends that outrivalled the shouts of Okeyites and Bellringers on election night. The recovery of the- lost coin was celobratedfby -the owner, treating, all and sundry to, libations from the cup thaf cheers, with, buns thrown, in. bo also telling his audience, which kept or growing, 'that if he spent, a “tenner” over the recovery of that half-sov. he would not care, so great was the, satis 1 faction he felt.